by E. M. Gayle
By the time the crowd parted, and I got my first look at Zia's masterpiece, I stopped in my tracks, my hands going up to cover my mouth. There on the table sat a four-foot high, three-tiered cake that looked like a fashion show itself. Each tier had doorways with models in them wearing beautiful and detailed gowns. On the second tier, my name had been recreated to look like the famous Hollywood sign, and on top of the smallest tier was a spiral staircase with a model wearing a green gown that looked remarkably like mine. No freaking way. "Holy cow!"
Nina and Zia laughed, followed by Izzy, another of my close friends, who had walked up next to me. "I told you she was going to freak out."
"Freak out?! I'm speechless. Are those?" I stepped closer to get a better look. "Are those my designs on the models?"
"Yep." Zia beamed. "Your assistant provided pictures, and I recreated them as best I could. I hope I did them justice. They are all one hundred percent edible."
I truly was speechless. I didn't have a clue what I was supposed to say. I could feel tears burning at the backs of my eyes, but I didn't want to embarrass myself by crying at my own party. I took a steadying breath, and Ronin leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "Just say thank you. That's all she needs."
I nodded. Maybe he was right, but it felt so inadequate. I did not want to think about the number of hours something like this must have taken. I turned to Zia. "I don't think anything I can say would do justice to how I feel about this, but thank you."
"I don't mean to interrupt," Nina interjected. "But have y'all met Ronin?"
All eyes turned to the man standing to my left. I could only imagine the cocky grin all over his face, but I'd bet good money it was there even if I couldn't see it.
"Sorry. I'm doing a crap job at this so far. Izzy and Zia, this is Ronin Kavanaugh. Ronin, Izzy and Zia. I'd introduce their significant others, but I don't see them right now.”
"Vincent is running late," Zia said. "Even in recovery mode, he doesn’t sit still. He had some business thing at the gym, but he should be here soon."
Izzy waved to someone behind me. "Here's Houston now, and I hope you don't mind, he invited his brother to tag along." She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "They are still trying to kiss and make up from a less than stellar decade of ignoring each other. You want to talk about two very stubborn men with some crazy skeletons..." We all laughed as we turned to greet them.
Instead of a greeting I got a punch straight to my gut when I saw who stood next to Izzy's husband. I sucked in a sharp breath before I could stop it and I could tell by the sudden jerk of Ronin's hand that he'd caught my reaction.
This could not be happening.
"Hi, Nova. Happy Birthday." Houston leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek. I stared over his shoulder at the man I guessed was his brother. His eyes looked like two storm clouds about to unleash hell. I swallowed hard.
"Thank you," I managed at barely a whisper. It wasn't easy to push words out, when I felt like I couldn't breathe.
"I hope you don't mind I brought someone extra with me tonight. Apparently, he works too damned much and was in definite need of a night out. Nova, this is Rock Reed, my brother. Rock, Nova."
I held my breath, waiting to see what he would do. When he stepped forward to take my hand, I almost lost it. "Happy Birthday, Nova," he said, pressing his mouth to my fingers instead of keeping to a simple shake. My entire insides were quivering in shock, but that familiar warmth and shock of electricity I always got when he touched me raced through my blood. I half wanted him to pull me into his arms and lay claim to me right there.
"Oh, and this is Ronin," Izzy interjected, pulling me out of my Rock Reed arousal fog. Rock. Damn, I didn’t think a man could have a more perfect name. She looked back at us. "Kavanaugh, right?"
"Yes. Ronin Kavanaugh." He leaned past me to shake Houston's hand before he turned to Rock. They grasped hands, but I could immediately see the tension form between them. "Nova's fiancé." Ronin added, looking directly at Rock.
His gaze jerked to mine, and my stomach dropped to the floor. Oh shit.
11
Nova
"What?!" That one word echoed amongst all three women staring at me as if I’d suddenly grown a second head.
Now what? I wanted to kill Ronin, that's what. But first, I had to say something to explain. Unfortunately, my brain couldn't unscramble and find words fast enough. I was still stuck on being introduced to my lover for the first time.
"My parents, they arranged it." I blurted out the words before I could think them through and immediately regretted it. I was about to dig myself into a very deep hole that I would have no chance in hell of getting back out of if I wasn't careful.
"For real?" Nina and Zia looked perplexed, but there was something in Izzy's expression I couldn't read. She suddenly looked wary, and for good reason. Her father, before his death and my father had occasionally done business together. She had to know what an arranged marriage meant.
"I know. It's old-fashioned," Ronin spoke up for me. "But it is still traditional in some cultures, and our families have wanted us together for some time now. So I have come to Vegas to get to know Nova and see if she is amenable."
He was talking out of the side of his mouth now and I desperately wanted him to shut up already. Rock looked ready to explode, Houston and Izzy looked suspicious and the rest of them looked as shellshocked as I felt.
"Wow. I don't know what to say. Uhm… Congratulations?" I understood Nina’s hesitation. I’d given none of them any warning about this because I didn't know how to broach this kind of thing with my friends. Telling people you cared about that your entire existence was built on a lie just doesn't roll from the tongue like you might expect.
I wanted to tell them all that Ronin was full of shit, but he might not be. If he and I didn't come to some sort of agreement, we'd end up husband and wife. My father, and probably his too, would accept nothing less.
"We're feeling it out." I offered with a smile that I hoped didn't look as weak as it felt.
"Well, let's get a round of drinks and celebrate properly." Izzy took over when I failed to say any more. I wanted to hug her for coming to the rescue, but I chose to remain silent. She was already suspicious enough. I didn't need to let on that this wasn't a happy affair. And then there was the fact my lover was still glowering at my fake fiancé in between angry glances directed at me. And I could see the way the amusement danced in Ronin's eyes that there was something going on there. Had he recognized Rock from yesterday morning?
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I'd known him tagging along was a bad idea. But he refused to take no for an answer and I was trying to stay on his good side until we could get through our negotiations. Before I could sink too deep into misery, several waiters rushed over with trays of chilled glasses and several bottles of opened champagne. As they went through the motions of making sure each guest had a glass it gave me enough time to catch my breath. I may not be an actress by trade, but today I would give the best performance of my life.
"Did you forget to tell me something, beautiful?"
Those words were whispered in my ear in a tone that made it clear he was not in the mood for my bullshit. He wanted answers, and he wanted them right now.
"I-uhh."
"Yeah. Exactly. An arranged marriage is exactly the kind of thing you should have told me about. Fuck, Nova. What were you thinking?"
I was thinking about all the orgasms he gave me, and not much else if I was completely honest, although I doubted that's what he wanted to hear.
"You said no strings. No commitments. Hell, until yesterday I thought we were on a no name basis as well. That hardly screams tell you my life story, Rock Reed."
"I don't want your fucking life story," he growled menacingly low. "At least not yet. But knowing whether I am fucking someone else's woman is goddamned important."
"I'm not his—"
"He just introduced himself as your fiancé, and you did not objec
t. That gives everyone the impression that you are his."
The word his came out on such a vicious snarl that it caused me to take a step back. Only yesterday he'd declared I belonged to him.
"I'm not his," I protested. He advanced on my position, and I took another step away. Whatever was going through his head, I really didn't want to create more of a scene here at the party.
"Damn right, you're not. You. Are. Mine. And in case you need a reminder why, I'll be by to show you later tonight. In the meantime, get rid of him. And keep his fucking hands off you, or I'm going to rip them from his arms."
"But I—" Before I could finish, I turned to find him gone as silently as he'd arrived. Despite his disappearance, I could still feel his anger pulsing around me as palpable as the man himself. I don't know how I had expected this to go, but this wasn't it. I was supposed to cut him off, not somehow encourage his possessiveness. Things were falling apart faster than I could fix them.
And the threat of violence. What was I supposed to think about that? Clearly there were many facets to Rock Reed that I did not yet understand.
I sighed. A lot had happened in the last forty-eight hours, and my brain wasn't happy. I needed a drink. Preferably something stronger than this champagne.
I headed toward the kitchen and hoped I'd find something there. I pushed through the door and admired the silent space. Every work surface gleamed, and nothing at all looked out of place. Zia ran a tight kitchen and it showed. I just hoped somewhere in one of these plethora of cabinets I would find some liquor. I didn't want to go out to the bar and face any more people quite yet.
I searched through several cabinets before finally hitting the jackpot. I snagged the first bottle I saw, which happened to be tequila, and then went in search of a shot glass or anything else that would work. By the time I took the first shot, I was ready to bail on the whole thing.
Screw them all. I could still run away.
It wouldn't be long, and someone would come looking for me. Ronin most likely, but I wouldn't put it past my girls to grill him to death and then come find me for more of the same. They'd have a lot of questions I was not prepared to answer. Beginning with why in the world I didn't tell them about my arranged marriage.
I poured another small amount of tequila into my glass and quickly swallowed it down. This time I barely grimaced from the burn. That liquor had nothing on my life. Between Rock, Ronin, my father, and the diamonds I'd stolen still hidden in my safe, I'd weaved quite the complex web. If only I knew exactly how to use it to get what I wanted.
I'd been counting on my father to send me someone a little less temperamental than Ronin Kavanaugh. Honestly, I figured he'd punish me by handing me off to someone triple my age. Ronin's blood-soaked world worried me. Someone that prone to violence wouldn't be easily manipulated.
As I was about to pour my third shot, I heard a strange sound in the distance. I glanced around the kitchen looking for the source. It sounded like something fell. When I saw nothing out of place, I shrugged it off and downed my liquor.
Paranoia certainly wasn't going to help me find my way out of this situation. Maybe if I simply told Ronin the truth, he'd be willing to negotiate. He'd given me no indication he didn't plan to go through with our farce of a marriage, but he couldn't possibly want it any more than I did.
Another sound hit me from behind, and this time it was louder, yet still muffled. What the hell was that?
I eased from the stool I'd perched on to drink and headed toward the only door in the room other than the exit. Was someone in Zia's office? I probably should have gone and found someone else to investigate. The last thing I needed was to get involved in someone pulling something in Zia's Kitchen. But I had four shots of liquid courage blazing through my blood, firing me up and making me brave.
I heard it again, and that time it definitely sounded like something being knocked over. I peeked through the small circle of glass but it was too hard to see into the darkness and from my tippy toes. The noises inside were getting louder, and I could just make out what I thought sounded like voices.
I took a deep breath and yanked on the door, hoping against hope that I wasn't about to find Vincent and Zia doing the nasty on her desk or something.
"Get out," a gruff male voice I definitely recognized demanded. What the hell?
"Ronin?" I fumbled along the edge of the wall for the light switch until I found it and flicked it on. Light flooded the space, and for a second, my eyes had to adjust before I could see anything.
"Shit." That wasn't Ronin. Not unless he suddenly sounded like a woman. My eyes focused and straight up horror filled my mind and made me freeze in place.
"What in the hell is going on?" I don't know why I asked when the answer was more than obvious. The woman I'd heard was laid out on the desk, her skirt pushed above her waist and her pussy fully exposed. Ronin stood between her legs, his face turned to me with another of his cocky smirks that I wanted to punch off his face.
"You should go. We can talk about this later." I heard his words, I know I did, but the anger surging through me was all I could focus on. That motherfucker had announced to all my friends that he was my fiancé and then come back here with—
Wait a goddamned minute. I stepped further into the room so I could get a better look at the woman. This was a private party with an extremely limited guest list. Who the hell was he...?
Oh. My. Fucking. God.
No. No. No. This was not happening.
"Lana?"
The girl's head popped up and her eyes narrowed for a moment until she finally recognized me.
"Hey, uhh, Nova. How's it going?"
Ronin's smile faltered, but he said nothing more. Meanwhile, my head was about to explode.
"You asshole. Do you even know what you've done?" He didn't smile or smirk, but he didn't look like he gave two shits, either.
"Lana. You need to get back to the party. Now!" Fortunately, she didn't argue and pulled her skirt down as she nodded her head.
"Or you could mind your own business," Ronin snarled.
"You are such a bastard. First, you insist on crashing this party with me, then you tell everyone you are my fiancé, after which you sneak off with my boss's seventeen-year-old sister. What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What?" Ronin turned back to Lana. "You're seventeen? You said you were twenty."
Lana had stopped moving and looked like she was about to explain.
"Lana!" I warned, making sure she got my message. She needed to get out of here, now. Thankfully, she did get the message, and she scrambled off Zia's desk and scooted around me to the door.
"I'm sorry, Nova. I didn't know. I didn't mean to ruin your birthday." Lana looked close to tears, but my sympathy was at an all-time low. She was a troublemaker through and through.
"Just go. But make sure you go to the bathroom first and get yourself straightened out before Gabe or Nina see you. They aren't stupid, they'll know exactly what you've been up to."
"Okay," she agreed as she slipped from the door.
How in the hell was I supposed to handle this? Delicate situations with underage minors were not my thing. Gabe was going to lose his shit when he found out about this.
"I didn't fuck her, if that's what you're thinking."
"You're an idiot and an asshole," I spat, uncaring about a single word he had to say.
He casually zipped up his pants and pulled himself together, walking toward me as if he didn't have a care in the world. Although his eyes spoke volumes and that was a different story entirely. His smirk had disappeared, and instead it looked like a storm was brewing.
He stopped in front of me and grabbed my chin. "Careful, Nova. I still hold all the cards in this relationship. And I don't tolerate disrespect."
"You should have thought of that before you came back here with a teenager. At my party no less. You'll be lucky if we both make it out of this alive. Gabe is going to freak the hell out."
"You're ass
uming he is going to find out. I'd bet little Lana isn't going to say a word. She came on to me, lied about her age when I questioned her and then gave her consent when she brought me back here."
"You're a pig."
He tightened his fingers. "I'm not going to warn you again. One more outburst like that and I'll have you stripped, tied down, and taking my belt across your ass until you can't sit down again. I don't know what your father taught you, but my wife will have manners and show respect for her husband, one way or another."
"You're not my husband, yet." Despite his threats, I couldn't stop myself from continuing.
"You have been bought and paid for already. That deal is done. A little piece of paper that decrees us married is simply a formality. I own your ass, your pussy, your tits. Even this pretty little head of yours belongs to me. That means I control what you do with your mouth, not the other way around."
"I'm yours?" I asked, ignoring the pin prick of tears at the backs of my eyes. I wasn't going to give this man the satisfaction of my tears. He'd take them and throw them back in my face every chance he got.
"Damn right, and I expect you to remember that."
"Is that why you were back here with another woman?" I only cared because it was Lana, I reassured myself. There was no way in hell I would ever marry him. I didn't care how much he paid for the privilege.
"That's the difference between you and me, Catherine Cullotta. I have the freedom to do whatever I want. You do not. You were chosen to serve at my will, and serve you will." He released my chin with a hard jerk. "Now go say goodnight to your friends and your lover. It's time for you to go home."
12
Ronin
Fuck. That had not gone at all like I'd expected.
While I had planned to force the reveal of our nuptials sooner rather than later, seeing Nova's lover at that party had set me off in a way that still left me pissed. Of course, I'd told the bastard she was mine. Anyone in my situation would have done the same. I technically had no right to be pissed about who she fucked yesterday, but as of today, she officially belonged to me.
